Graciela Iturbide Mexican, b. 1942

Graciela Iturbide’s self-portraits are intimate, introspective explorations of identity, culture, and personal connection to the world around her. One of the key aspects of her self-portraits is the way she merges the body with animals, such as fish and birds. Often, her engagement with animals, both dead and alive, becomes part of a narrative exploring the boundaries of self-portraiture as a bid to nature as an avenue for seeing. Another aspect of her self-portraiture is the role of the camera, blurring the lines between spectator and self. Iturbide’s interest lies in the taboo, and many of her autorretratos depict her integration and acceptance into the communities she photographed. Iturbide often presents herself in dreamlike, surreal scenarios, using the act of looking through a lens to navigate internal and external worlds.